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Plato, Apology, 26c-27a middle
Oct. 17th, 2012 02:03 pm[26ξ] τουτοισί. ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐ δύναμαι μαθεῖν πότερον λέγεις διδάσκειν με νομίζειν εἶναί τινας θεούς—καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρα νομίζω εἶναι θεοὺς καὶ οὐκ εἰμὶ τὸ παράπαν ἄθεος οὐδὲ ταύτῃ ἀδικῶ —οὐ μέντοι οὕσπερ γε ἡ πόλις ἀλλὰ ἑτέρους, καὶ τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ὅ μοι ἐγκαλεῖς, ὅτι ἑτέρους, ἢ παντάπασί με φῂς οὔτε αὐτὸν νομίζειν θεοὺς τούς τε ἄλλους ταῦτα διδάσκειν.
ταῦτα λέγω, ὡς τὸ παράπαν οὐ νομίζεις θεούς.
For I'm not able to understand/learn whether you say that I teach to believe that certain gods exist - and for myself indeed I think gods exist and I am not altogether an atheist nor would I do wrong by this thing - but not however the ones which the city [believes in] but others, and this is that which you charge to me, that [I believe in] others, or you say I am altogether [without gods], nor myself think of gods, and that I teach these things to others.
"I say these things, that you do not believe in gods at all."
[26δ]
ὦ θαυμάσιε Μέλητε, ἵνα τί ταῦτα λέγεις; οὐδὲ ἥλιον οὐδὲ σελήνην ἄρα νομίζω θεοὺς εἶναι, ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι ἄνθρωποι;
μὰ Δί᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐπεὶ τὸν μὲν ἥλιον λίθον φησὶν εἶναι, τὴν δὲ σελήνην γῆν.
Ἀναξαγόρου οἴει κατηγορεῖν, ὦ φίλε Μέλητε; καὶ οὕτω καταφρονεῖς τῶνδε καὶ οἴει αὐτοὺς ἀπείρους γραμμάτων εἶναι ὥστε οὐκ εἰδέναι ὅτι τὰ Ἀναξαγόρου βιβλία τοῦ Κλαζομενίου γέμει τούτων τῶν λόγων; καὶ δὴ καὶ οἱ νέοι ταῦτα παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ μανθάνουσιν, ἃ ἔξεστιν ἐνίοτε εἰ πάνυ πολλοῦ δραχμῆς
O wondrous Meletos, why do you say these things? Do I not think neither the sun nor the moon to be gods, as other men do?
"By Zeus no, O men of the jury, since he says the sun to be a stone, and the moon to be earth."
Do you think to accuse Anaxagoros, O friend Meletos? And do you thus despise these men and suppose them to be ignorant of letters, as though they don't know that the books of Anaxagoros of Klazomenios are full of these arguments? And moreover the young men learn these things from me, which it is possible sometimes (if the price is high) for a drachma
[26ε] ἐκ τῆς ὀρχήστρας πριαμένοις Σωκράτους καταγελᾶν, ἐὰν προσποιῆται ἑαυτοῦ εἶναι, ἄλλως τε καὶ οὕτως ἄτοπα ὄντα; ἀλλ᾽, ὦ πρὸς Διός, οὑτωσί σοι δοκῶ; οὐδένα νομίζω θεὸν εἶναι;
οὐ μέντοι μὰ Δία οὐδ᾽ ὁπωστιοῦν.
ἄπιστός γ᾽ εἶ, ὦ Μέλητε, καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖς, σαυτῷ. ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ οὑτοσί, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πάνυ εἶναι ὑβριστὴς καὶ ἀκόλαστος, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ὕβρει τινὶ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ καὶ νεότητι γράψασθαι.
by buying to mock Socrates from the orchestra, if he pretends them to be his own, and especially when they're so out-of-place? But, O for Zeus, I suppose you think this here? That I don't believe any god to exist?
"No indeed, no by Zeus, not at all."
You are not believable, O Meletos, and indeed with respect to these things, you seem to me [not believable] to yourself. For this man here seems to me, O Athenian men, to be arrogant and intemperate, and to have brought this charge simply in some sort of violence and intemperance and rashness.
[27α] ἔοικεν γὰρ ὥσπερ αἴνιγμα συντιθέντι διαπειρωμένῳ ‘ἆρα γνώσεται Σωκράτης ὁ σοφὸς δὴ ἐμοῦ χαριεντιζομένου καὶ ἐναντί᾽ ἐμαυτῷ λέγοντος, ἢ ἐξαπατήσω αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ἀκούοντας;’ οὗτος γὰρ ἐμοὶ φαίνεται τὰ ἐναντία λέγειν αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ εἴποι: ‘ἀδικεῖ Σωκράτης θεοὺς οὐ νομίζων, ἀλλὰ θεοὺς νομίζων.’ καίτοι τοῦτό ἐστι παίζοντος.
For it looks like, so by composing a riddle to make a test, "Will Socrates the wise man understand of my jesting and saying opposite things to myself, or will I deceive him and the other listeners?" For this man appears to me to say opposite things to his own self in this charge, as if he were to say, "Socrates does wrong by not believing in the gods, but he believes in the gods." And indeed this is mockery.
ταῦτα λέγω, ὡς τὸ παράπαν οὐ νομίζεις θεούς.
For I'm not able to understand/learn whether you say that I teach to believe that certain gods exist - and for myself indeed I think gods exist and I am not altogether an atheist nor would I do wrong by this thing - but not however the ones which the city [believes in] but others, and this is that which you charge to me, that [I believe in] others, or you say I am altogether [without gods], nor myself think of gods, and that I teach these things to others.
"I say these things, that you do not believe in gods at all."
[26δ]
ὦ θαυμάσιε Μέλητε, ἵνα τί ταῦτα λέγεις; οὐδὲ ἥλιον οὐδὲ σελήνην ἄρα νομίζω θεοὺς εἶναι, ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι ἄνθρωποι;
μὰ Δί᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐπεὶ τὸν μὲν ἥλιον λίθον φησὶν εἶναι, τὴν δὲ σελήνην γῆν.
Ἀναξαγόρου οἴει κατηγορεῖν, ὦ φίλε Μέλητε; καὶ οὕτω καταφρονεῖς τῶνδε καὶ οἴει αὐτοὺς ἀπείρους γραμμάτων εἶναι ὥστε οὐκ εἰδέναι ὅτι τὰ Ἀναξαγόρου βιβλία τοῦ Κλαζομενίου γέμει τούτων τῶν λόγων; καὶ δὴ καὶ οἱ νέοι ταῦτα παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ μανθάνουσιν, ἃ ἔξεστιν ἐνίοτε εἰ πάνυ πολλοῦ δραχμῆς
O wondrous Meletos, why do you say these things? Do I not think neither the sun nor the moon to be gods, as other men do?
"By Zeus no, O men of the jury, since he says the sun to be a stone, and the moon to be earth."
Do you think to accuse Anaxagoros, O friend Meletos? And do you thus despise these men and suppose them to be ignorant of letters, as though they don't know that the books of Anaxagoros of Klazomenios are full of these arguments? And moreover the young men learn these things from me, which it is possible sometimes (if the price is high) for a drachma
[26ε] ἐκ τῆς ὀρχήστρας πριαμένοις Σωκράτους καταγελᾶν, ἐὰν προσποιῆται ἑαυτοῦ εἶναι, ἄλλως τε καὶ οὕτως ἄτοπα ὄντα; ἀλλ᾽, ὦ πρὸς Διός, οὑτωσί σοι δοκῶ; οὐδένα νομίζω θεὸν εἶναι;
οὐ μέντοι μὰ Δία οὐδ᾽ ὁπωστιοῦν.
ἄπιστός γ᾽ εἶ, ὦ Μέλητε, καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖς, σαυτῷ. ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ οὑτοσί, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πάνυ εἶναι ὑβριστὴς καὶ ἀκόλαστος, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ὕβρει τινὶ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ καὶ νεότητι γράψασθαι.
by buying to mock Socrates from the orchestra, if he pretends them to be his own, and especially when they're so out-of-place? But, O for Zeus, I suppose you think this here? That I don't believe any god to exist?
"No indeed, no by Zeus, not at all."
You are not believable, O Meletos, and indeed with respect to these things, you seem to me [not believable] to yourself. For this man here seems to me, O Athenian men, to be arrogant and intemperate, and to have brought this charge simply in some sort of violence and intemperance and rashness.
[27α] ἔοικεν γὰρ ὥσπερ αἴνιγμα συντιθέντι διαπειρωμένῳ ‘ἆρα γνώσεται Σωκράτης ὁ σοφὸς δὴ ἐμοῦ χαριεντιζομένου καὶ ἐναντί᾽ ἐμαυτῷ λέγοντος, ἢ ἐξαπατήσω αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς ἀκούοντας;’ οὗτος γὰρ ἐμοὶ φαίνεται τὰ ἐναντία λέγειν αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἐν τῇ γραφῇ ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ εἴποι: ‘ἀδικεῖ Σωκράτης θεοὺς οὐ νομίζων, ἀλλὰ θεοὺς νομίζων.’ καίτοι τοῦτό ἐστι παίζοντος.
For it looks like, so by composing a riddle to make a test, "Will Socrates the wise man understand of my jesting and saying opposite things to myself, or will I deceive him and the other listeners?" For this man appears to me to say opposite things to his own self in this charge, as if he were to say, "Socrates does wrong by not believing in the gods, but he believes in the gods." And indeed this is mockery.
